On 14 September 2010, the Senate of France passed a law that forbids the wearing of clothing that covers the face of a person in public, so that the person cannot be identified. The law talks about clothing that covers the face, so it includes burqas and niqabs, but does not include the chador. The main arguments for the ban are that people wearing such types of clothing cannot be identified by police forces, and that such velis are not compatible with the values of France as a state. In addition, there was a discussion about women's rights. President Nicolas Sarkozy said that a reason for the ban is to protect women from being forced to cover their faces.[1]

The bill which was introduced was refused by many people around the world. Some women in France protested against it too. But there were many supporters of the bill.